Far Are Your Arms
by VioletSkiesxX
Summary: The Gullwings are going Sphere-hunting in the middle of the coldest winter Spira has ever faced, and Rikku is afraid of the fact that she may never return. Song-fic. Rated T for safety.


**Far Are Your Arms**

"Rikku! We're going sphere-hunting in Macalania!" Brother had yelled at Rikku, who had winced. Sphere-hunting? In the dead winter? In an already-frozen place? Was Brother INSANE?

Well, not that Rikku hadn't gone sphere-hunting in the cold before. Nah, she was used to that. However, this was different. The Gullwing had found this chain of spheres, all apparently taken secretly of their private life. So, of course, what are the Gullwings to do? Find the spheres before anybody else, of course!

Not as easy as it sounds. The spheres were hidden all over Spira, with many obstacles, as if trying to test the Gullwings. It was...different.

But, back to the cold. It was the coldest winter Spira had ever had, by far. There was ice covering everything, even the normally warm, sunny beaches of Besaid. Wakka had accused Lulu of casting Blizzaga everywhere, jokingly, of course, but still...she wasn't pleased.

The very fact Brother wanted to go sphere-hunting was just...no normal person would go. But, then, of course, since when was Brother normal? Rikku chuckled at the thought as she walked towards the ship, joined by Yuna and Paine, their faces proving that they were just as miserable as Rikku.

"Hey! Cid's Girl!"

Rikku rolled her eyes and turned around. "Yes, oh-dearest Gippal?" She took an annoyed step towards him. He WAS her boyfriend, and she DID love him, but she was having a pretty bad day. You'd be pissed off, too, if you had to go chase spheres in weather so cold and snowy, no words could describe it. Weather where, strangly enough, none of the ice-cold water had frozen. Nah, instead, it was as rocky as ever, like a never-ending storm had come upon it.

"Calm down, Cid's Girl. Why do you look so down, anyway? And why are you out here dressed like THAT?!" Gippal looked at her, one eyebrow raised. "You NEVER wear clothes that aren't slutty in some way, anymore!"

Rikku looked down at her outfit. She was wearing a thick white snowsuit, with black boots and mittens, and a special machina was placed on her head, like a dome, to keep her face from freezing. What was so bad about it, anyway? She didn't hate it that much. And, Rikku thought angrily, she did NOT only dress in slutty clothing!

"Well, Gippal, excuse me, but I'm going to Macalania. Sphere-hunting. If Brother returns without me, do me a huge favour, and kill him. Make sure to make it as painful as possible, please! Oh...and so, now, I'm a slut, apparently? Honestly, Gippal. Didnt know you dated me because you think I'm some slut. Thanks. Warms my heart." Rikku said, obviously not very happy with Gippal about it all.

"What am I, your slave?" Gippal joked. "Well, Rikku. It was called a joke. _Y zuga_. Get a sense, babe. Please."

"A sense of what, stupidity?" Rikku snorted, stomping on his foot, making him cry out in pain slightly. "No, thanks. I'll stay on the smart side!"

Gippal frowned. "Humor, Rikku. _Risun_. _RISUN_. Now, go do your little bitch act on the ship; I don't want to see it!"

Rikku laughed coldly. "Fine. And if I die out there? Or am stuck there, for a long time? What then, Gippal? What will you do if I am gone?"

Gippal's eyes softened a little. "If you died, Rikku...I'd kill myself to join you. After all," he hugged her tightly in between words. "What's life without your loved one?"

"When Chappu died, Lulu obviously didn't think that way. She's still around. But...it's nice to know you love me," Rikku smiled a little, hugging him back. "But...don't think I've forgiven you!"

"Ah, well, Lulu has Wakka. You see, I meant when your SOULMATE dies," Gippal winked, and Rikku blushing. In his mind, the two were soul-mates? Who would have known...

"And, Rikku," he broke into her thoughts, and Rikku's eyes met his. His eyes were so beautiful, she couldn't help but think. So pure...sometimes. "Please try to forgive me...because I love you, and having the one you love being pissed at you is never fun."

Rikku smiled, and took off her helmet for one second, to kiss him goodbye before she left for her mission. As the Celsius took off, Rikku was waving all the way, smiling brightly at Gippal.

"Well, what a drastic change in attitude she's had," muttered Paine as she watched her friend dart around the airship. "Honestly, what does love DO to people?"

"It makes us happy, that's all," Yuna's gaze followed her cousin warmly. "Well, I know it feels that way when I'm around Tidus...so, I'm sure Rikku feels the same way!"

Paine nodded slowly, understanding her friend's words, even if only minorly. "I...sure. Whatever. We should go help Brother, Yuna. Come on."

Yuna nodded, her eyes not once leaving Rikku's until they got to her older cousin.

And, as Rikku pranced around, one single thought echoed in her mind. One she did not know the truth about. One she could only hope about.

_I'm sure it'll be alright – after all, my love will vanquish anything!_

--*~*--

Can love conquer ice? Can love conquer waves? Rikku didn't believe so. There they were, the Celsius on water like a boat, battling with the water in a deadly duel.

And, as Rikku ran around the top of the ship, she thought of one thing through the cold, and the misery. Gippal. These thoughts were no longer happy, however. She was more...afraid. Upset.

_Cold is the Arctic Sea._

_Far are your arms from me,_

They were stuck, the group soon realized. Stuck until the ice was gone. They had lost the battle, and could only rely on hope.

After all, what else did they have? They didn't bring much, not machina, or anything, because, well, the place they were in was "relatively safe". Was this what "relatively safe looked like"? Rikku didn't think so. Frobisher Bay was ANYTHING but safe in her mind.

_Long will this winter be, frozen in Frobisher Bay,_

_Frozen in Frobisher Bay._

"Come on girls, one more sphere, and we'll go home!" Brother had screamed over the thunderous waves crashing onto the ship rapidly. "Come on!"

"But, Brother, we'll die if we go into there!" Paine had yelled back at him, shivering like crazy as a strong gust of wind nearly blew her off the ship.

Rikku remembered looking into the sky, seeing a beautiful, clear star through the thick clouds. She had felt a tear slip down her cheek, freezing immediately. How were they to escape this?

"_One more whale!" our captain cried. "One more whale then we'll beat the ice!"_

_But the winter star was in the sky,_

_The seas were rough,_

_The winds were high._

And so, there they were, condemned on a tiny airship, slowly going insane.

Yun was whimpering about how she wanted Tidus. Brother was sitting in a corner, trying to pick himself back up. Even Paine looked afraid of what would happen next.

Rikku thought of Gippal, and a lump slowly grew in her throat. She shouldn't have left him. This was gonna be true love's end, she could tell, for Yuna, and for her, too. And their lovers would never know...

Rikku had never wished to be wrapped up in Gippal's soft embrace more as she slowly cried, hugging herself to try to stop the pain...it didn't work.

_And cold is the Arctic Sea,_

_Far are your arms from me,_

_Long will this winter be, frozen in Frobisher Bay,_

_Frozen in Frobisher Bay._

The water was deep and cold, they all knew, and it was frozen now, anyway. They couldn't escape now. The group had stopped relying on normal machina, and actually tried to make a boat out of it, using bedsheets from the basement of the ship, but the wind claimed those, too. They were done for, Rikku knew.

_And deep were the crashing waves,_

_That tore our sailor's mast away._

_--*~*--_

How could the sun be gone so long, Rikku wondered. For the three days they had lain there, the sun had not come out, they remained in seemingly eternal darkness. It was frightening, Rikku thought. Why was the sun hidden away from them?

She wanted to go home. She wanted to go home to Gippal. To kiss him hug him, to be with him would be enough. But, she knew it was impossible. They were trapped by death; they could only wait for the ice now surrounding them to break, and that could take months...if they survived that long.

_And dark are these sunless days,_

_Waiting for the ice to break._

A blanket fell onto Rikku's shoulders, and Brother sat beside her, his gaze distant.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, hugging his sister. "If only I-- If I had-- If I hadn't forced you all to do this, you could be in his arms right now. We'd all be safe. I'm such an idiot!" Brother slammed his fist into the ground, tears falling from his eyes.

Rikku clung to her brother tightly, like a small child would. "Are we gonna die?" she whispered, her voice fainter by the minute, her lips chapped, face as white as the snow on the distant shores.

Brother shook his head. "I don't know, Rikku. I really don't know."

_And cold is the Arctic Sea_

_Far are your arms from me_

_Long will this winter be, frozen in Frobisher Bay,_

_Frozen in Frobisher Bay._

As Rikku sat there, waiting for death to come and seize her at any moment, she wondered. Why did they have to die like that? Her, Paine, Yuna, Brother....everybody. Just...why? Was it some lord's punishment for being a sphere-hunting group?

For eventhough the waves had ceased, the ice was still there, and Rikku knew it would be there for some time.

How long did they have left? Would thy die there, their bodies frozen? Would they become fiends? Who would send them? Rikku couldn't help but desire to know the answers to her questions.

_Strange is the whaler's fate_

_To be saved from the raging waves,_

_Only to waste away,_

_Frozen in this lonely grave._

As he appeared in her thoughts once more, she thought she heard his voice, calling her name, she could feel his embrace, before she collapsed.

"I love...you....Gippal..." she breathed, hoping someday he would hear her words.

"I love you too, Rikku," his voice again. Surely it was her imagination? "More than anything.

She tried to open her eyes, but found the task impossible. If felt as if there was a weight on her eyelids, forcing them to stay like that.

"Gip...pal?" she questioned quietly, and she heard a quiet yes. Her eyes filled with tears, and a few escaped the boundaries of her eyelids, running down her face. "Oh, Gippal!"

Gippal took off her helmet gently, wiping the tears off her face. "It's okay now," he murmured. "You're here, with me. And we'll wait here, forever together. We'll wait for the ice to break."

Rikku nodded, closing her eyes as she fell asleep in her loved one's arms.

_And cold is the arctic sea,_

_Far are your arms from me,_

_Long will this winter be,_

_Frozen in Frobisher Bay,_

She would live now. She had the one she loved with her, and her friends were by her side. Together, they would get by the winter, however long it took, however painful.

And, one day, when she had grown old with Gippal, she decided, she could look back at this as the time she was

_Frozen in Frobisher Bay._

~END~

**Well, there was my very first attempt at a song fic. EVER. The song is "Frobisher Bay", written by...uhh...sorry, I can't remember. XD I do not own FFX-2, or this song. OH, but I know the version I'm talking about it edited by Linda Beapre. AKA my other choir's conductor.**

**I had this idea today while my school choir was rehearsing it...I had ideas for this song and one other, which will come soon, maybe tomorrow, if this gets reviews. (But I sincerely doubt that!)**


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